This invention relates generally to a sipper tube cap assembly for a drinking water bottle, and more particularly to a sipper tube cap assembly for a water bottle which prevents leakage from the bottle, allows for ease of use, and insures that any liquid placed within the bottle and consumed from the sipper top does not come in contact with any caustic or other possibly harmful material.
Bottles utilizing sipper tubes are well known in the industry, and are especially employed for feeding smaller animals who are retained in a cage. The sipper tube allows for the animal to receive water contained in the water bottle. The tube is formed of stainless steel or another acceptable material, and only allows a small amount of the liquid to be obtained at any one time. The remainder of the liquid is retained in the bottle, even though the bottle is inverted. It is well known in the prior art to insert the stainless steel sipper tube inserted into a tapered rubber stopper. The sipper tube is inserted into a hole formed in the middle of the rubber stopper, at the wider end of the tapered stopper. This sipper tube is forced into the hole in the stopper, thereby creating a liquid tight seal between the sipper tube and the stopper by friction fit. This sipper tube and tapered stopper assembly is then forced into the opening of a bottle, thus creating a liquid tight seal between the tapered stopper and the bottle; in effect plugging the bottle. However, this design has caused many problems. First, it is very difficult for a user to force-fit the rubber stopper effectively, completely and confidently into the bottle. Thus, it is possible that after insertion of the stopper and inversion of the bottle, the stopper may loosen itself from the opening of the bottle and come apart from the opening of the bottle. This would in turn break the liquid tight seal between the bottle and stopper, allowing the liquid to escape from the bottle. Additionally, the insertion and removal of this rubber stopper into the mouth of the bottle is a very difficult maneuver for an employee to perform. It requires numerous repetitions, and may result in carpal tunnel syndrome, or additional health risks resulting from the repetitive motion of pulling and pressing on the stopper to remove and replace the stopper.
In an additional prior art design sold by Ancare, a plastic screw cap is employed having a hole formed in the center thereof. A stainless steel sipper tube is force-fit into this opening in the surface of the cap. In the prior art, this cap is typically formed of plastic. The underside of the plastic cap contains a groove around the inner surface of the plastic cap. This groove is filled with a silicone caulk to provide a liquid tight seal between the cap and the bottle when the cap is screwed into the bottle. Because of expansion and contraction rate differences between a plastic cap and the stainless steel sipper tube, this design has resulted in leakage around the sipper tube from the opening in the cap. Therefore, in the prior art, an additional silicone caulk layer has also been employed on the underside of the cap around the sipper tube in order to seal off any possible leakage between the two. However, in the use of this design, concerns have arisen with the silicone caulking coming into contact with the liquid being drunk by the animal. These concerns are especially great when the silicone caulk is used around the sipper tube. Thus, this design has the problem that it places possibly caustic material in contact with the liquid to be drunk by animals. Additionally, after a number of washing cycles, it is possible that the silicone caulk may breakdown, therefore resulting in leakage of liquid from between the sipper tube and the cap. Additionally, the conventional screw cap requires 11/2 to 2 full revolutions to secure cap to bottle. This is not only time consuming but increases the potential of carpal tunnel syndrome, or additional health risks after servicing multiple cages.
In a further prior art design manufactured by Allentown Caging Equipment Co., Inc., a plastic or metal cap is combined with a threaded sipper tube assembly and seal. Specifically, the threaded cap has a hole formed in the center thereof through which a special threaded sipper tube is inserted. A teflon or plastic disc with a hole at its center corresponding to the hole in the plastic or metal cap is placed over the end of the sipper tube which was previously inserted into the cap, at the underside of the cap. This teflon or plastic disc therefore creates a seal between the bottle and the cap. Finally, stainless steel nuts are screwed onto the sipper tube on both the top of the cap, and the bottom of the teflon or plastic disc so as to secure the seal and the sipper tube to the cap. Teflon tape may be placed upon the thread of the sipper tube below the teflon disk, and the nut may be screwed over this tape to further aid in insuring that no liquid leaks out from the bottle. However, this prior art design has a number of problems. First, this design requires a large number of parts, and is therefore expensive to design, and requires complicated assembly by the manufacturer or user. Additionally, this design requires a threaded sipper tube, which is not a standard in the industry. Rather the industry standard sipper tube is a non-threaded sipper tube. Furthermore, the caps are not autoclavable, and therefore sterilizing these caps is more difficult. Additionally, the plastic used to form this prior art cap may become brittle if autoclaved and must be replaced rather frequently. The use of a stainless steel metal cap with a hole formed therein is not readily produced in the industry. Finally, the use of a teflon seal requires a very fine tolerance between the teflon seal and the bottle. Failure to meet these tight tolerances result in sporadic leakage problems between the teflon seal, the bottle and the plastic or metal cap. This cap also requires 1 to 2 full revolutions to seal, causing carpal tunnel syndrome in the conventional lab setting with hundreds of cages, each requiring servicing of water bottles.
A further prior art design, manufactured by Thoren Cage, incorporates a stainless steel cap and a stainless steel sipper tube. The cap does not employ any sealing membrane. The sipper tube is flared at its connection point to the cap, and the sipper tube is welded to the cap. The cap is fitted to the neck of the bottle by a friction fit, the sipper cap fitting around the outside thereof. However, this prior art design also has a number of problems. Specifically, this cap assembly only fits a special design bottle neck. The cap and bottle are not common sizes or designs related to the majority of bottles used in the industry. Therefore, in order to utilize such a cap assembly, it would be necessary for a user to replace all bottles with new bottles which were designed to fit with the cap. Additionally this design requires a friction fit between a stainless steel material and the material forming the bottle. If the material forming the bottle is glass there is a tendency for breakage. Lastly, this design is not as secure as threaded designs. Furthermore, it has happened in the industry that the weld between the cap and the sipper tube has broken, thereby causing leakage. Additionally, the repair of this weld is very expensive, and often requires replacement of the cap and sipper tube.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a sipper tube cap assembly for use with a bottle which stopped leakage, was easy to install, could fit on standard size bottles already utilized in the industry, and did not employ any caustic or other materials which may harm any animals coming in contact with the liquid.